Inka

So, friends are hard to come by and I have to share a special story for me. Two Christmases ago a Mom I had met through my Moms group was at a playdate and she took me aside as I was packing Austin up. She gave me a small gift wrapped up and inside was a book for Austin called "Stinky Face." It is about a little boy who pretends to be many horrible, smelly, unacceptable things and asks how his mom would handle them...and his mom tells him with each one how she would brush his nasty teeth, or sing until his one eye closed (when he was a cyclops), or blow kisses across the swamp and tell him she loves him. It was a surprise to be given a gift, to be chosen out of the crowd it felt like and given a door to friendship. And being new and trying to find friends it meant so much.

Now fast forward to my friend being 9 months pregnant, and her father passes away. Several weeks later I had the honor of hosting her mother blessing where her family and friends gave her and her baby beautiful blessings and hopes for the future amidst her 2 1/2 yo daughter floating like a butterfly welcoming everyone in. And again 3 months later she hosted my blessing with subtle touches and intuition that blow me away...she gifted me an actual blessing basket and a long necklace with a small world on it, to symbolize that though Pete wasn't able to be there physically, his spirit was there. I wept.

So, fast forward to recently and she had asked me for some thoughts on a wrap to add to her collection. I gave it some serious thought and told her what I saw. She is the one who taught me how to wrap a baby to nurse hands free, which is how I wrapped Gabe for the first many weeks. And now he still lives in a wrap on my tummy in a different position. So she asks to stop by sometime later to say Hi and I'm excited to see her. She walks in with a twinkle in her eye and a bag overflowing with something wrapped in tissue. In the bag is Inka, a german made wrap long enough for me to do anything I ever need to with it, beautiful as a sunset over the water as night takes over the sky, sturdy and wide enough to carry my boy...so I cried...who gave this friend to me? How often do we feel cared about and read by another person?

I don't know that I can ever put on paper what my wrap means to me. How the freedom to carry my son has given me the freedom to let the days blend together, has let our family find the rhythm of being 4...given me the ability to mother both of my sons rather than feel like I'm sacrificing one temporarily for another. I won't know what it's like to not have my wrap, but I do know that in my wrap Gabe tucks his little head in and just closes his eyes...amidst bike rides and naptimes, frustrated explosions and story times...trampoline bouncing, play-doh masterpiece roads, salt flung everywhere, dogs barking...he sleeps soundly next to my heart, not far from whatever he may need. For me it's perfection.

So, this is a gift from my friend. Mom always said people come and go in your life as you need them. We aren't blessed with these friends very often. And I'm reminded of her kindness and thoughtfulness everyday, right on my tummy.